Divorce harmful than helpful, retired bishop warns

“The harm done by divorce to the family is greater than its benefits,” he said in an interview over Church-run Radyo Veritas. (Pexels photo)

MANILA – A retired Catholic prelate on Saturday said divorce could cause more harm than it could help families.

Reacting to the recent passage of a consolidated measure on absolute divorce at the Senate committee on women, children, family relation, and gender equality, Novaliches Bishop-emeritus Teodoro Bacani Jr. said separation of spouses through divorce could cause greater damage to the Filipino family, instead of the benefits that can be obtained from the proposed measure.

“The harm done by divorce to the family is greater than its benefits,” he said in an interview over Church-run Radyo Veritas.

The Catholic prelate also stressed that divorce or easier process to make couples to separate due to disagreement is no longer necessary since there is an existing legal separation and nullity of marriage in the Philippines

“That’s what the state should always look for. We should ask what is for the common good for the good of the majority,” he said.

“And if we will use facts, we will see that the harm done by divorce is greater than the benefit obtained from it,” the retired bishop added.

On Tuesday, Senate Bill 2443 authored by Senators Risa Hontiveros, Raffy Tulfo, Robin Padilla, Pia Cayetano and Imee Marcos, hurdled the committee level.

Once enacted into law, it will provide “protections to the parties to the marriage and its common children, amending for this purpose Executive Order No. 209, or the Family Code of the Philippines.”

The committee emphasized that although the state recognizes the sanctity of the family, it is also the government’s duty to protect human dignity that guarantees respect for human rights, equality before the law, and the protection of young people.

Bacani said lawmakers should take into consideration studies and results of having separated parents and the effects of separation on their children.